


Heartbeat

by Last_one_standing_02



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Baby, Bensler, EO - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Gen, domestic EO
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28978878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Last_one_standing_02/pseuds/Last_one_standing_02
Summary: Benjamin is being a fussy 2 month-old baby. It takes frustrated Olivia, calm Elliot and some white noise to resolve the situation. Established EO, set in Another Reason universe, but can stand alone. Some fluff, EO family time.
Relationships: Olivia Benson & Elliot Stabler, Olivia Benson/Elliot Stabler
Kudos: 14





	Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing (except Benjamin) and I make no profit, it's purely for fun!
> 
> Another Reason is a multichapter story, which was originally posted on fanfiction.net, my username there is Last.one.02 - I don't see myself crossposting that story here, but you'll never know.

2 months old Benjamin shrieked and then started crying again. Olivia was doing circles in the apartment trying to calm the baby down, but nothing seemed to be working. She was shushing and cooing at Benjamin, who didn't take any notice. He'd kept throwing the pacifier to the floor to the point where the fresh exhausted mother couldn't be bothered to pick it up.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Olivia pleaded desperately.

Benjamin responded like any 2 month old would – he kept on screaming, confident he'd get what he wanted like that.

"I can't help you if you don't let me know what you want," Olivia pleaded again.

She was on the verge of crying, but somehow managed to keep herself together. She was exhausted beyond belief and sleep deprived since third trimester.

She rocked her son gently while walking calmly between kitchen and living room, praying she'd get Benjamin to calm down before Elliot got home.

Olivia didn't hear the door unlocking, but she heard the door being opened and Elliot walking in with shopping bags.

"Elliot," she said tearfully the moment she saw him.

Elliot dropped the shopping bags and was by her side instantly. Olivia shoved the crying baby into his waiting arms.

"I can't get him to calm down," she admitted.

Elliot could see that she was close to a complete breakdown, but he couldn't focus on her until Benjamin had quieted down.

He continued rocking the baby gently against his chest.

"I fed him, changed the diaper and tried to put him down for a nap, but then he started crying and I can't get him to calm down," she spoke.

Elliot nodded. He talked with Benjamin in soothing voice, but it had just as little effect as Olivia's actions.

"What if something's wrong?" she asked.

Elliot shook his head.

"How long has he been like this?" he asked calmly.

Olivia checked her watch.

"Half an hour," she said.

Elliot nodded.

"He is probably just tired, he will tire himself out and fall asleep eventually," Elliot said calmly.

True to his word, Benjamin's crying was starting to quiet a bit. Elliot handed him back to reluctant Olivia, who was still on the verge of breaking into tears like her son. He guided Ben on Olivia's arms, so his head was on Olivia's chest against her heart.

She raised an eyebrow, but miraculously Ben started quieting down to the point where he was whimpering quietly and not crying anymore.

"He spent 9 months listening to your heartbeat, it makes him feel safe. I read that babies can recognize their mother's heartbeat and theirs would synchronize with it even after birth. It can also calm them as we just found out," he said calmly. He wiped the lone tears from her cheeks and smiled. "It's like white noise to them," he added.

"I didn't know that," she admitted. "Why didn't I know of this?"

Elliot shrugged his shoulders. He ran his hand soothingly on her back while Olivia gently rocked Ben on her chest, the boy had quieted down significantly and was on a fast track to falling asleep. Elliot kissed her forehead with affection.

"I also like to listen to your heartbeat, it soothes me," he added sweetly.

"Must be some science behind it, because I also like the sound of yours," she replied. Elliot smiled, he knew that already – for the longest time she fell asleep with her head on his chest.

"I'm sure there is," he said. His eyes were on Ben, who had gone completely quiet, but he was still awake, and Elliot's palm rested on the small of her back.

"You're doing great, babe, babies cry and sometimes we don't know why," Elliot said calmly. He kissed the side of Olivia's head, then went to the forgotten grocery bags. He kept an eye on Olivia, who was back to walking and rocking Benjamin, often it was the best way to get him to sleep.

Elliot went to the bedroom to lock away his service weapon and put down his badge, when he returned the room had fallen silent. Olivia was still walking and rocking their son, who looked asleep. She looked slightly less tearful than before.

"He's down?" he asked in a whisper.

Olivia nodded. She was still walking and rocking Benjamin. "I'm scared he'll wake up when I stop," she admitted.

Elliot nodded.

He finished putting away the groceries then walked up to Olivia, who was rocking Benjamin while standing at one spot. He stood behind her, placed his hands on her arms and kissed the top of her head.

"Do you want me to take him?" he asked in whisper.

Olivia shook her head. "I don't want him to wake up," she said.

Elliot nodded understandingly. He kissed her head again, then went to the couch and took a seat. He had one arm over the armrest and pointed for Olivia to sit down beside him.

"He won't wake up," he whispered confidently.

Olivia held Benjamin tight while she sat on the couch, Benjamin moved slightly, but otherwise remained comfortably asleep over Olivia's chest. Eliot wrapped his arm safely around Olivia, in the process pulled her against him.

"He looks comfortable," Olivia commented.

Elliot studied their sleeping son, who indeed looked quite cozy, his tiny fingers were clutching Olivia's shirt on her chest and his eyes were tightly shut. Olivia held him with both of her hands.

"Of course, he is comfortable, he has the best sleeping spot in the whole apartment," he said with a smile and a hint of teasing in his voice.

"And here you are, jealous of your son," she teased.

Elliot nodded shamelessly. "He's getting all of my wife's attention and he gets to sleep with her, of course I am jealous," he said with a chuckle. "I can't remember the last time I slept with my head on your chest," he added.

Olivia took a brief moment before speaking. "It was before we found out about Ben. We were in the cribs, you woke me up when you tried to make room for yourself, but then you decided to climb to my side partially on top of me and you put your head on my chest," she spoke while remembering that night.

"Right. It was really comfortable," Elliot agreed, his memory becoming clear. "Benjamin clearly agrees that you are the best pillow."

Olivia laughed. "He's only two months old, all he cares about is getting his meal, having a clean diaper and taking his nap," she said and yawned, it was drawing to her how tired she was.

"Looks like he gets to have his nap right next to where he gets his meals from," he commented.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

Elliot kissed the top of her head over her hair. He pulled a blanket from the headrest of the couch and put it around Olivia and Benjamin. He saw the tiredness in Olivia the moment he walked into their home and now that Ben was comfortably sleeping, it was a chance for Olivia to catch her sleep too. Luckily she wasn't on the verge of a breakdown anymore.

"You're exhausted, babe," Elliot stated.

Olivia chuckled.

"I don't think I'm very good at this," she admitted.

"You are an excellent mom," he replied instantly. "Benjamin is a happy child, he's well fed and cared for, and he's extremely lucky to have you as his mother."

Olivia rolled her eyes, she yawned.

Elliot leaned down, he kissed Olivia's cheek gently, then pecked her lips.

"You are amazing, babe," he said. "I love you more than I thought was possible. Only little Ben might love you even more than I do."

She chuckled; her eyelids were halfway closed.

"Liv, I can keep telling you how incredible mother you are and how much I love you – how much I've loved you for years, and how glad I am to have you in my arms. But that would mean you'd have to stay awake, because I can keep going all night," he said.

"I love you too," she responded.

He chuckled. It was one sentence he couldn't enough of. Olivia yawned again, her head fell heavily on his shoulder, he could tell she was fighting against falling asleep.

"Babe, close your eyes, you need some rest," he said seriously.

"I read," she said and yawned, she covered her mouth with her hand, "that you can't fall asleep with the baby on your chest."

"True, but I will be here awake to keep an eye on you both," he assured her. "Go to sleep, Liv, I'm sure Ben will be awake and hungry in a few hours," he added.

Olivia's body became heavier against him, and he was certain Olivia fell asleep the second he assured her it would be okay. He smiled at the sight. It was becoming amongst his favorite feelings in the world to have Olivia and their sleeping baby in his arms.

He carefully reached for the remote and turned the TV on, he turned the sound off and settled on watching a basketball game.

Olivia shifted slightly, she snuggled further into Elliot, who quickly placed one hand to support Ben, but the baby didn't move. Nevertheless he kept his palm there to support their son just in case Olivia's hand drops while she's asleep.

Three hearts beating in the same rhythm.

If the sound of Olivia's heartbeat was white noise to Ben, then her steady rhythmic breathing had become white noise to him.

For Elliot it was a rare moment of blissful silence in their household. Truthfully, as much as he was enjoying his family time, playing with Ben and watching Olivia become the amazing mother he always knew she'd be, he also quite enjoyed the peaceful silence, when Ben was sleeping and the new parents had time to catch their breath – or their sleep.


End file.
